During the past 17 years that I have been your diocesan pastor, I have been blessed to have seen your Many Faces, have experienced how your Many Gifts have been selflessly and sacrificially offered, and have witnessed how we have grown as One Diocesan Family.

It is within our family that we experience the call to unconditional love; we bring new life into the world; we learn to care for and nurture one another, to forgive, and not to turn our back on our own. The family teaches moral and Christian virtues – values that mirror the life of Christ and the transformation of the world to His will.

Once baptized, we become a part of God’s family. “…you have received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit itself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:15-16)

We experience our spiritual family mostly in our participation within the parish family.  We hear the Gospel message preached. We are led by our ordained ministers and lay leaders. We receive the sacraments; we worship together and support one another in our journey toward holiness. We create services to meet our spiritual, educational, social, and corporal needs. We learn to love and forgive. We give witness to the world of our faith and love.

Our diocesan family is composed of all parish families within the eleven counties of Northwestern Illinois. The diocesan family is guided by me, your diocesan pastor in union with our universal pastor, Pope Benedict. The Bishop’s role is to assure that the Gospel is preached to all. Those called to ordained ministry to serve the people of the parishes are ordained, Confirmation is administered in the parishes, and diocesan liturgical events that bring together diocesan leadership strengthen the unity of this local Church.  Diocesan services exist to support and form our parish leadership so that parish spiritual, educational, social, and corporal works can be effective and be formed in Catholic theology, spirituality and tradition.

Just as you provide for your family and your parish family, we are also call to support the diocesan family through Diocesan Stewardship. We may not have the opportunity, like many do, to share our time and talent, but most of us have the resources to empower those in diocesan ministry to serve the larger Church family found in the 106 parishes of this Diocese.

I invite you to participate generously as stewards of God’s gifts in the support of our diocesan ministries. Please take an added step toward the sacrificial gift of 1% of income. However whatever you may be able to sacrifice, please know your participation is most important.

However, I am aware of how these economic hard times have affected some of you and you may not be able to participate to the degree that you wish you could.  Please understand that you are in daily prayers and hopes that you will find the economic stability that you and your family need.

Thank you for all you do to build up our One Diocesan Family. With every good wish, I remain…

Cordially yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend Thomas G. Doran, D.D., J.C.D.
Bishop of Rockford

Download 2011 Diocesan Stewardship Brochure in English (in pdf)
Download 2011 Diocesan Stewardship Brochure in Spanish (in pdf)
Download 2011 Diocesan Stewardship Campaign Posters (in pdf)
Download 2010 Diocesan Stewardship Resource Manual (in pdf)
Download 2010 Diocesan Stewardship Newspaper Spread (in pdf)